Within about a week and a half, Álvaro Bautista returns to the MotoGP paddock as a wildcard for Ducati in the Malaysian GP. It is a kind of reward for his titles in the World Superbike Championship, and the rider does not see this participation as pressure to achieve good results.
In an interview with the newspaper AS, the Spanish rider explained that the goal is, above all, to enjoy the experience: ‘The goal is to enjoy this wildcard. And that’s why I chose Sepang, because for Ducati it would have been easier to go to Valencia, due to proximity. But Cheste is a smaller circuit and you don’t enjoy MotoGP as much. I think I wouldn’t enjoy it there. So, I chose Malaysia, a big circuit that I like, and I have more chances to enjoy. Many people tell me, “look at Dani [Pedrosa], who was fighting for the podium…”‘.
However, Bautista clarified that he does not see himself as a podium contender in Sepang: ‘Dani has many more kilometers than me with the MotoGP, he did many tests in Misano and the situation is different. At most, I have more race pace, which is what he lacked to get on the podium. To do it, I emphasize, he was fighting. They are two different situations and the results he achieved do not put pressure on me, nor do they take it away‘.
